


Galactic Leave Standard

by EllieL



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Baby, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Napping, Parenthood, Post-RotJ, Work Life Balance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-27
Updated: 2019-11-27
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:01:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21585814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EllieL/pseuds/EllieL
Summary: Han and Leia reflect on leave time, and their new daughter.Written for the November 2019 HanLeia Challange prompt "thankful."
Relationships: Leia Organa/Han Solo
Comments: 8
Kudos: 51
Collections: HanLeia Challenge





	Galactic Leave Standard

Han Solo lay sprawled on a chaise lounge in the sunshine, warmed by the afternoon sunlight and the dozing infant tucked safely under a blanket on his chest. There was a background hum of distant afternoon speeder traffic and the breeze through the potted plants on the patio, but otherwise, all was quiet and peaceful. He cocked his head slightly, listening for the sound of activity inside the apartment, but detected nothing, and relaxed.

Years ago, he’d one day dreamed of being able to lounge in the sun. Though in his daydreams, he’d been on a remote beach somewhere, a cold drink in hand, devoid of all responsibility. That had been his goal, a free and easy life, beholden only to himself; he’d grown up under the thumb of too many different entities to ever want to be obligated to anyone or anything.

Now he had so much more than obligations. He had duties and responsibilities, people and things that were so much more than requirements. The tiny girl curled against his heart was just the latest addition to that, and his hand soothed her back as she stirred, then fell back asleep.

He’d taken her so Leia could get a little work done, despite still being officially on maternity leave. But the demands of the galaxy waited for no one, not even their daughter. They’d only gone as far as the Falcon for a little tour. When they’d returned two hours later, Leia was sound asleep at her desk. He’d moved her work datapad before she drooled any more on it, and they’d settled out on the lounger for a nap of their own. 

The sunlight was warm, reflecting off the metal and stonework of the building, and he dozed off too. He was awakened not much later--the light hadn’t shifted much across the sky--by the squirming of Jaina against his chest. His grip on her had tightened automatically, keeping her safe against him, thumb stroking circles against her back to attempt to lull her back into quietude. It’s not that she needed to sleep more, but he knew that given her bond with Leia, her wakefulness would end naptime for--

Before the thought could finish running through his head, he heard soft bare footsteps on the wood flooring of the living space, and then silence as she paused. He didn’t turn around, knowing she’d find them.

“Ready to continue your ship education from this morning, Jain?” he softly asked the baby as he turned her to face the traffic speeding past in the distance. “These are landspeeders, which you probably won’t get to learn to fly til after you’ve been behind the controls of the Falcon, ‘cause rules on that are---”

His lecture was cut short by Leia’s huff of laughter as she approached and tousled his hair, then leaned down to kiss the top of Jaina’s dark, downy head. Giving her a smile, he shifted in the wide chaise, leaving her room to join them, which she did without hesitation. It took a bit of shimmying and wiggling to get them all settled, though eventually she was tucked in right next to him, his arm around her and Jaina grasping at her long, single braid.

“You’re just trying to distract her from wanting to fly,” he teased.

“She’s a little young to be thinking about flying anything.” Gently, she extricated her daughter’s fingers from her hair, giving her the soft knit of her cardigan to play with instead. “Is that where you two went today? Flying?”

“Nah. Well, we went down to the Falcon. But we didn’t get off the ground. I got her started on macrofusing though.”

She laughed again, the sound warming him more than the sunlight, almost as much as the baby had warmed his chest. 

“Careful how much you teach her, she’ll be taking it out cruising with boys before you know it.”

He couldn’t control the look of horror that spread across his face, or the involuntary grasping of his very young daughter closer to him. Only her laughter, which spurred in the baby to imitate it, broke him out of his panic at the idea, and got him to smiling, too. He shook his head, then glared at her.

“What did you do today? Why didn’t you just take a nap if you were tired?” His fingers skimmed over her side, seeking and not finding any tension in her body.

“I wasn’t tired when you left. I made the calls I needed to in half an hour, and then fell asleep trying to catch up on reports. Some of those would put a spiced lothcat to sleep.”

It was his turn to laugh; he knew full well how boring most reports were, which was why he rarely bothered reading them.

“You getting tired of being home from work?”

She turned into him, finger tracing one of Jaina’s tiny yellow-socked feet where it threatened to kick him in the ribs. “I love being with her. But I love what I do, too, and I’m beginning to miss it. After the conference call last week….” 

“You’re ready to start easing back into it?”

He felt her nod ever so slightly against him. “I think I am.”

“Then you should do what you did today--take a coupla hours each afternoon, start getting back into it. She’s asleep for a while then anyway, you’re not missing anything but her snoring.”

He could feel her sigh, too, pressing into him then easing away, breath tickling his neck. 

“I worked so hard the other year to get a Galactic Leave Standard for new parents passed. It feels hypocritical and ungrateful not to take all of that time.”

Leaning down and kissing her forehead, he considered. “You made it so everyone has time without needing to fight for it. But you’re making a  _ choice _ , starting back voluntarily. That’s different, that’s something you should be thankful to have. ‘Cause that’s what you gave everyone.”

Leia shifted awkwardly in the chair, half rolling onto him so she could kiss his cheek, and press a hand to the baby’s back. She was silent for a few minutes. 

“I’m so thankful to have a choice. And to have you here at home with us, too.”

“Yeah, and I ain’t going back a day before my nine months is up. So I’m happy to take her down to the Falcon or out for a walk while you’re on a call or whatever. We can make this work for you.”

“Thank you.” She kissed him again, at the corner of his mouth, then lightly on the lips. “I’m not ready to go back full-time yet. But I’m ready to start doing  _ something _ .”

Han hummed, squeezing her tight against him. “You know, she spend time learning the Falcon with me and sitting in on your office hours, she might be ready to skip straight to university til she starts talkin’.”

One finger delicately lifted a curl away from where it had fallen on the girl’s forehead, and wide hazel eyes blinked back at them. Jaina was still for a moment, then stirred, once again alert and awake, hands reaching out. 

“Okay, little girl. Let’s get you an afternoon snack, hmm?” Leia shifted against him, just a moment of embrace before twisting herself back out of the lounger, and reaching back down to take their daughter from him. There was a beatific smile on her face as she lifted up the infant, and headed back inside with her.

Han watched them go, not stirring from his recumbent position in the sunshine. Leia might be thankful for the choice to return to work when she was ready, but he was thankful to have both of them, and this blissful life that was more than he’d ever dreamed of.


End file.
